


Practice makes perfect

by Quillery



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-01 20:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15151025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quillery/pseuds/Quillery
Summary: Keith has little to no experience in dating and decides to ask Lance for help. Lance's "practice date" seems like a good idea; two good friends, helping each other out. As friends. Just friends. Nothing more.........right?





	Practice makes perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii, thanks for reading. But, I should clarify one thing first. Lance and Keith mayyyy be out of character because i kind of recycled this fic, it was left collecting dust sooo i kind of changed it for this instead. Sorry!

"Romance?" Lance couldn't hold back a small smirk as he repeated the word; Keith who was seated in front of him noticed this, matching it with a frown of his own. "Really? You?

“Yes, me.” Keith deadpanned. Why was it so hard to imagine him finally finding someone special? God knows how many books he had read due to his near-constant studies, so he had never had the time nor energy to get out and find a girl (or guy) to spend quality time with. Now that he had been finishing his daily work early, he decided it was finally the right time to do so, but for some reason everyone seemed to think that he was making a joke. And in his opinion, way too many of them thought it was funny.

He shifted uncomfortably on the bed the two were sharing, suddenly finding his bed very interesting. "I figured since you're more experienced in the area, you could help me."

"Oh?" More experienced? Sure, he had been on a few dates, but he could probably count them with one of his hand. _Surely Keith has been on at least one?_ "What do you want to know?"

"Well, I..." Keith looked away, a faint blush growing on his face. "Um...I was hoping for some advice on...on my first date?" He willed himself to look at Lance again, but he appeared distracted

"You...a-a date?" Lance blinked.

Insert yet another eye roll here. "Yes, I'm going on a date! Sheesh." Was he really that introverted? Maybe he should have done this sooner.

"With who?" Keith froze, feeling his face heat up even more. He wasn't expecting to have to give the specifics, especially Lance of all people.

"I'd... r-rather not say, Lance..." He almost regretted withholding the information upon seeing the hurt in his friend's eyes, but decided it was for the best.

Lance stared at him a moment longer, then looked down at the bed. "Oh."

Keith averted his eyes and coughed. "A-anyway," his voice wavered, "I really don't know what... I mean, like..." He gave Lance an awkward smile. "I have absolutely no idea what to do."

"Hmm... just, I dunno... be yourself." Keith simply stared at him, and Lance realized just how vague that sounded. "And... talk," he continued. "About stuff." After another long pause, Lance rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "Look, I really don't know how to explain what you should do on a date..."

The pair sat thinking for a few minutes, until Lance suddenly grinned. Keith took notice and asked, "So, you came up with an idea?"

"Yeah. Maybe we could go on a sort of practice-date!"

"Practice... date?" Keith sounded the words out in his head; a date just didn't seem like the kind of thing that could be practiced. "Um..."

"I can show you what to do way more easily than I can tell you right here," Lance reasoned. He almost seemed... eager, though Keith couldn't understand why. "C'mon, I'll even pay like your real date will."

Seeing Lance so determined to help him, Keith gave in. "Well, okay," he agreed. He smiled, soon joined by his friend.

"Sweet!" Lance pumped a hand in the air. "Okay, how about we meet around six, at that new place, Halbero's?"

"Sounds good," Keith affirmed with a nod. "Thanks for helping me out, Lance. It... it means a lot to me."

"What are friends for?" Lance smiled, though to Keith it seemed a bit off, somehow. "I'm just glad to be there when I'm needed. I don't have these brilliant ideas every day, you know."

"Right, brilliant." Keith made air quotes with his hands on the word 'brilliant,' and Lance rolled his eyes. "I mean, I guess it can't hurt. After all, 'practice makes perfect,' right?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lance smiled as he walked down the street leading up to the restaurant. _I can't believe he actually said yes!_ He nearly started skipping like a kid, but caught himself just in time.  
_Calm down, Lance, it's just a practice. Nothing to get all riled up about. Not real._

 _Still_ , he thought as he pushed through the doors, _this is probably the closest to it I'll ever get._ Smoothing down his neatly-combed hair, he was greeted before being promptly showed to his seat, where his guest was already waiting. "Hey Keith, you been here long?"

"Um...9 minutes." When Lance gave him a strange look, Keith blushed. "You said six o'clock, so I was here at six o'clock."

"Oh. Okay." Lance shrugged and slid sideways into his half of the booth. "I guess being on-time is good for a date. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry about it," Keith laughed nervously. Lance studied him and noticed he was sweating, and occasionally his eyes would flicker between Lance and the table.

"Don't be so nervous, Keith. It's... just a practice," Lance lightly gripped Keith's hand in his own, causing them both to retract theirs from the table as their faces reddened. "Erm, sorry."

"That's okay," Keith chirped, forcing a smile. "So, do we talk about stuff right now?"

“Um, actually, we should probably figure out what we're going to order first; but after that, yeah." Both of them opened their menus and scanned through them, eventually settling on their choice. Before long, their waiter showed up to take their orders. Being uncharacteristically polite, Lance motioned for Keith to go first.

"Okay, I'll have the lasagna al forno with a salad and some water." After the waiter finished scribbling down the details, he turned to Lance.

"I'll have a small pizza, with pepperoni and onions. Oh, and garlic knots and a soda." The waiter continued writing for another moment, then smiled at the pair and told them their drinks and salad would be out in a moment.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the night wore on, the couple-- _no, just friends,_ they reminded themselves, began to loosen up dramatically in comparison to the awkward prelude, now forgotten, and the real mentoring could begin.

"Okay, you've got mindless chit-chat in the bag. Lesson two is... table manners." Lance grabbed a slice of his pizza and began folding it up. "First off, don't play with your food." He held up the pizza in his hand, now in the shape of a pyramid. "Second, take small, clean bites." Shoving the whole slice into his mouth, he wiped a smudge of grease from his cheek. "An' fird, don't talk wif ur mouf full." After chewing for a few seconds, he swallowed, with some difficulty. "Kind of annoying, right?"

"Yeah, kind of," Keith muttered, wiping a half-chewed bit of cheese from his face.

"Well, other than that, it looks like your eating style is okay." Lance grabbed another slice of pizza and began eating it, this time more slowly.

Keith took a few more bites of food, and became worried when no further conversation took place. "Am I supposed to be saying something?"

"No, no. You don't have to talk as much while you're actually eating. Otherwise, you risk talking with your mouth full, which, again, doesn't look too good."

"Oh, okay." Keith sighed in relief. So far, he appeared to be doing fairly well, at least for his first time. Unfortunately, he didn't notice what was going on under the table until something soft brushed against the inside of his thigh, and he gave an odd squeak of surprise.

"Wha-what was that for?!" Keith exclaimed, surprised with the sudden contact.

"Lesson three: learn to control your emotions." Lance grabbed another slice of pizza and pointed it at a red-faced Keith. "Also I thought that it would lighten up the mood."

"Next, posture." Lance sat up with as much poise as he could muster; Keith had to admit, he had never seen the laid-back Lance looking so fine. "Back straight as an arrow, legs parallel, chin up--not too high, mind you, don't want to appear snobby--and chest out. Look proud, but not cocky; elegant, but not..." He waved his hand in a circle, looking for the right word, but could not seem to find it. "Well, let's see it."

Keith did his best to imitate the stature of his friend, and Lance peered at him quietly. "Eh, not bad," he muttered after a moment. "Your back's straight, but try not to lean forward so much at the hip. And your chin can be just a little higher." Keith made these adjustments, and Lance smirked. "There, lookin' good now." Keith's cheeks tinted a light shade of pink before Lance continued. "Okay, so we've covered small talk, manners and posture." He tapped a finger to his chin, trying to think of anything he could be forgetting, but came up with nothing.

"Okay, well, it looks like you're done--" Keith glanced down at his now-empty plate, "--and I'm pretty stuffed." Keith noticed Lance had finished nearly three-quarters of his pizza, and was rubbing his swollen belly gently. _He really is pretty, stuffed..._ Keith squeezed his eyes shut and cursed his brain. _Stop that. Stupid brain._

Lance didn't notice his friend's internal struggles, and motioned to the waiter, who came by with the bill; he paid, as promised, with little objection from Keith--thanks to another of Lance's quick lessons, which was to protest, but soon accept the offer with a polite 'thank you.' Leaving a generous tip, Lance led them out into the late evening, where they walked to the edge of the town and gazed between the mountains at the moon hanging low in the sky.

 _This just feels... right_ , Lance thought with a contented smile. _Heck, this almost feels like a real date!_

At that thought, Lance's expression changed to one of dread. Uh oh. He quietly flicked his gaze across the moonlit landscape, and to the mullet sitting comfortably next to his.

_Yep, this is way too much like a real date._

Fearing Keith would come to a similar realization any minute, Lance decided to add one final lesson to his tutoring session.

Clearing his throat, he turned towards Keith at his side. "Now, at the end of the date, if you and this other person have really hit it off, you might go in for a kiss."

Keith's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Really? So soon?" To some, such an action might seem way over-the-top for a first date, and Keith was no exception.

Lance, however, brushed the question off. "Yeah, I mean, if you two really like each other, you should totally go for it. If not, it's not like you've ruined anything that could go somewhere." Keith considered Lance's reasoning, nodding as it sunk in. "'Sides, kisses never hurt anyone."

"I... guess so..." Keith was still unsure. "But how do I...? I mean..." His face was practically burning up now. "Like, what... erm..."

"Look, you just... like this." Lance closed his eyes and leaned forward ever-so-slightly, loosely puckering his lips. "And then--whoa." Lance opened his eyes to come literally face-to-face with Keith, who was leaning quite close, eyes shut tight with his own kisser at the ready. Lance had to resist with every fiber of his being, his insides screaming out for him to just close the gap and do it already, but he barely managed to will himself not to do so. Instead, he resumed his upright position, eyes darting around while his face lit up a bright red. "Um... Keith," he whispered.

Keith opened his eyes, suddenly realizing he was leaning just a little too eagerly towards his friend. He met Lance's nervous gaze with his own and gulped. "Just a practice... remember?" Keith blinked at the shaky voice and leaned back.

"R-right," he stammered. "Sorry." Feeling tremendously embarrassed.

"Don't sweat it." Lance's eyes glimmered with amusement, and a hint of disappointment, gone unnoticed by the mullet in front of him. "But your actual date will kiss you back, you know. Probably."

"Right," Keith muttered again. "Sorry, I just... you know, kinda got caught up in it all." He waved a hand around to indicate the setting they were in.

"Heh, no worries. I gotcha." Lance smiled and fixed his gaze on the moon, then suddenly turned to Keith, feeling curious. "So, Keith... who is the lucky person, anyways? Do I know them?"

Keith's face scrunched up uneasily. "Um... I... sort of. Yes." Lance watched him for a few seconds, then slowly turned his head forwards.

"C'mon, Keith, you can tell me."

I'm not so sure I can... Keith's face drooped as he scuffed the dirt with his legs. "Look, Lance, I don't even know if it'll go anywhere. Heck, it probably won't even happen at all."

"What makes you say that?" Lance stared at him in shock. This is Keith we're talking about. How could even one date possibly not happen?

"Well... first of all, I... I kind of haven't even asked him out yet," Keith admitted sheepishly.

The first words to register in Lance's mind were 'haven't asked out yet.' He blinked. "What?" Then he finally recognized the word 'him,' and blinked again. "Wait, what?" He shook his head vigorously. "I mean... what?"

Keith lowered his head. "Yeah, I just... y'know... you can never be too prepared, right?"

Lance was no genius, but even he could detect the sorrow in that voice. Shaky as the action was, he scooted closer to Keith, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Keith, what's going on?"

"I just... I can't..." Keith was struggling for words and could no longer find the strength to continue. "Oh, Keith, I'm such an idiot sometimes!" He turned and buried his face into Lance's shoulder, tears leaking from his eyes and soaking the blue jacket pressed against them. Lance quietly patted him on the back, growing antsier by the second as he fought to think of someway to just make everything all better for the mullet.

"W-well," he began, "everyone is, Keith. That's what makes life hard: you just can't control it at the right times. I don't care how hard you try, you can't be absolutely flawless twenty-four seven." When his consolations appeared ineffective, he frowned up at the sky. "Keith, what's wrong? Is it something I said?" He really hoped this wasn't the case; to imagine that whatever had the mullet so depressed could be because of him was unthinkable.

Lance strained his ears as he felt Keith twist his head and let out a few incoherent sobs. Over the sniffling and whimpering, he just barely made out a short, fearful cry: "He'll hate me."

"Hate you?" Lance scoffed. "For what? No one can hate you, Keith!"

"But it'll be weird!" Keith wailed. "I never asked if he's single, or if--if he even likes me that way..." Keith brought both hands up to cover his face. "I don't even know if you like guys, and I'm already planning a date? I'm not even attractive! How could I have just assumed all this would just work out in the end when it never does?!"

"Oh, Keith..." Lance sighed, "I'm sure it'll--" Lance suddenly cut himself off, his mouth frozen halfway-open while he repeated Keith's statement over and over again in his head. I don't even know if you like guys!

...if you like guys...

"Wait," he choked. "Back up. If... if _I_ like guys?"

Keith's eyes snapped open as he jerked away and did a double-take at the wide-eyed Lance. "What?" _Did I just say that? I said 'you,' didn't I?! No. I couldn't have. Nope. No way. This is not happening. This is NOT HAPPENING!_

"You..." Lance stood stock-still, his eyes glued to his friend who was desperately trying to wrench his own gaze away. "You said..."

"He!" Keith yelped. "I-I said 'he'!" His face now approaching a deep burgundy hue, he stared straight through the mountains and locked his eyes on the moon.

"...Keith?" Said mullet flinched as the voice met his ears, and he braced himself for the inevitable question. "Is this 'he' you're talking about... me?"

Even though he had been expecting them, those words still made him shrink in on himself. His throat clenched up, and he could only give a tiny whimper in response. "Maybe..."

Lance, who was now just out of view of the trembling Keith, smiled breathlessly. "K-Keith...?"

Keith sighed shakily, hunching over. "Oh, Lance, I can't do this anymore... It is you... it's always been you. You're so funny, and fast, and nice, and you're always there when I need you the most. And I really like hanging out with you, especially in school, and... a-and now I'm just a total mess..." He held his head in his hands, trembling as his body was racked with sobs. Wiping the tears from his face, he turned his head just enough to glimpse the blurry blue person in the corner of his eye. "There, I told you, okay? Happy now?"

Lance was silent, his smile stretching wider as this revelation sunk in. There were no words to express how he felt at that moment; if there were, however, he wouldn't have gotten any further than a _YES_ before squealing gleefully. As it was, he pounced on Keith from the side, tackling him to the ground. Keith's surprised squeak was muffled as Lance pressed his lips down firmly against Keith's own, feeling as if fireworks were going off throughout his entire body.

Keith, on the other hand, was instantly overcome by a rush of confusion and pleasure; the pleasure quickly won out, though, and his eyes slowly slid shut as he lost himself in this moment. Screw confusion. This was what they had both been waiting for all night, and he wasn't about to spoil it.

Neither of them noticed or remembered that Lance had just eaten a garlic-smothered pizza.

Eventually, to both person's' dismay, they had to come up for air; they separated, albeit reluctantly, and as their eyes cracked open again, they remained in that position. It crossed both their minds just how beautiful the other's eyes appeared in the moonlight, but only as a fleeting thought, as both their heads were still fuzzy with lingering excitement.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Lance chuckled. He rolled off Keith and onto the ground next to him, where they both lay facing each other. "Does that answer your question?"

Keith couldn't believe it; the guy of his dreams felt the same way about him? _This kind of thing only happened in my dreams! Well, if this really is a dream, I'd better not be waking up anytime soon..._

"Keith? Are you okay?" Lance's concerned voice cut through the haze in his mind.

"No, I'm terrific," Keith replied. "I just can't believe this is all really happening."

"Neither can I..." Lance chuckled nervously. "It all seems just too good to be true... but this is more real than any dream I've ever had." He immediately took on a heavy blush and squirmed on the ground. "N-not that I've had dreams about you, or anything! At least... not those kinds of dreams," he added quietly.

Keith laughed at the flustered Lance, his face soon softening into a more solemn expression. "Lance... why did you never say anything?" He asked sadly.

"Well..." Lance's smile flattened out and the spark in his eyes died down. "To be honest, I was really scared."

"Lance? _Scared?_ " Keith smirked, blinking slowly. "I don't believe it for a second."

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't even know you swung that way 'till just now, and... well, what kind of friend would I be to ask you out when you're planning to ask out someone else? Besides, you can't tell me you weren't scared."

"Oh, of course I was," Keith admitted. "You probably gathered that from my little slip-up a minute ago." He and Lance shared a laugh at that remark. "I just meant that... I wish we could have had the courage to do this sooner."

Lance nodded quietly. "Well, better late than never."

The pair lay there under the starry night sky in silence, simply basking in the glow of the moon and relishing each other's company. After a while, Keith took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"Lance," he murmured, his eyes soft, "will you be my boyfriend?"

"As sappy as that phrase is, Keith..." Lance grinned, but this time, it wasn't his usual one of confidence, cockiness, and charm; no, this was an expression he couldn't hold back, a loving smile so large it simply couldn't be contained between his two lips. "I'd love to."

Keith squealed. "I have a boyfriend!" He let out a few bubbly giggles that could have melted Lance into a puddle, and Lance gently pulled him closer, and laid his head on Keith’s shoulder with his eyes shut.

"Yup," he confirmed, "and I can't wait for our second date."

Keith gasped, his eyes sparkling. "Y-you mean...?"

"Uh-huh. I'd officially consider this our first one," Lance declared proudly. He fixed Keith with an expectant look. "So, tell me... How was your first date?"

He reached his thoughts back to the moment he had seen Lance step inside the restaurant, the split second they had held hands, their friendly chatting, the peaceful moonlit stroll they had been on up to this point, and the fact that Lance had encouraged him the whole way: paying hi compliments, never doubting that he could do whatever he put his mind to...

...and as he gazed into those vibrant blue eyes, his own smiling, thoughtful face reflected in them, Keith could only describe the experience with one simple word.

"Perfect."


End file.
